6 Tips for Better Watch Photography

A wrist photo is pretty straightforward, but if you’d like to get a photo of the entire watch, then it’s ideal to tell a story by using a few accessories. The background or props you use around the photo can go a long way in bringing out its best features.

You can try going with the theme of the watch. Is your watch a dive watch? A racing watch? A dress watch? If it’s a dive watch for example, you can try surrounding it with water sports gear.

4. Work with light.

Natural light is easily accessible and won’t cost you anything, but using artificial lighting gives you more control and lets you create more dramatic effects. Here’s how to work with both.

The best type of natural light is the type that’s not too bright. Try catching the light really early in the morning; or capture your watch outdoors on an overcast day.The key to taking good watch photos under natural light is getting the light to spread evenly on to your watch. If there is some shadow, you can use a reflector to bounce some light on dark parts of the watch. An easy DIY fix is to use a vehicle’s aluminum shade or some aluminum foil as a second light source.

Also, take care to avoid any reflections of you and your camera when staging the photo.

Phone camera

Most phone cameras have auto focus features that can be controlled with a double-tap. Simply tap on your desired focus (which is usually the watch case) and take a snap once that area is sharp.

Digital camera

The settings will vary depending on the type of camera that you use. The only rule of thumb here is to make sure the entire watch case is in focus. Also, try to work with a lower ISO. The lower the ISO, the sharper the photos.

It’s always ideal to get the perfect shot with your camera, but that doesn’t always pan out. Apps like Photoshop and Lightroom, and Snapseed (for mobile phones) are the go-to softwares of photographers.

Note: If you’re into instagrams photography, it’s always better to edit outside the instagrams app. When you edit the photo using instagrams , it usually re-compresses the photo, leading to lower image quality.

Finally, always remember to have fun when experimenting. You won’t always get the perfect shot at first, and using more advanced gear will be intimidating at the start. As with anything, you’ll get better with practice!